Shoe-tree.



I. W. LITCHPIELD.

suon TREE. v APPLICATION FILED APB.. 4%, v1910.

976,194. Y Patented Nov.22,191o.

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SHOE-TREE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

Application filed April 4, 1910. Serial No. 553,206.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC WV. Liroi-IFIELD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inShoe-Trees; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to shoe trees or forms such as are commonly usedto restore or preserve the shape of shoes when not in use upon the footof the wearer, or when they are to be used as display samples bytraveling salesmen or retail dealers.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved shoe tree ofsimple and durable construction which may be readily and convenientlyadapted to the size of the shoe in which it is to be used, and whichwill firmly and rigidly support the shoe when it is in position therein.

To this end the invention contemplates the provision in a shoe treeprovided with heel and toe members of a plate pivoted on one of themembers and provided with gripping shoulders for engaging opposite sidesof a bar which extends longitudinally from the other member and passesbetween the shoulders. The shoulders on the gripping plate are separateda distance slightly greater' than the thickness of the bar which passesbetween them, so that they will firmly grip the bar when the plate istilted with relation to the bar, and prevent movement of the bar throughthe plate, and at the same time will allow the bar to be moved freelythrough the plate when the plate is not thus tilted. Vith thisconstruction the heel and toe members may be readily adjusted withrelation to each other to adapt the tree for any length of shoe, andthen the gripping plate may be tilted to grip the bar passing throughit, after which the gripping plate forms a pivot joint between the heeland toe members for enabling the tree to be inserted into the shoe in abroken condition, and to then be straightened to stretch and support theshoe in the usual manner.

A further feature of the invention contemplates providing a plate orother device for normally holding the bar and clamping plate abovereferred to in such position that the gripping plate will resistmovement of the bar through it in one direction, while allowing the barto be moved through it in the other direction.

'Ihe features of the invention above referred to, as well as the furtherfeatures relating more particularly to the preferred form of theinvention, will be readily understood from an inspection of theaccompanying drawings and the following detailed description of theconstruction shown therein.

In the drawings Figure l shows a shoe tree embodying the invention, andthe manner in which it is inserted in a shoe; Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe shoe tree shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a sectional detail on line 3-3,Fig. l, looking toward the left; and Fig. 4t is a side elevation of thepreferred form of the invention provided with a spring plate forretaining the clamping plate and bar of the heel piece in position toprevent forward movement of the heel piece.

In the construction illustrated in the drawings, the gripping plate ispivoted upon the toe piece of the tree, and the longitudinal barcoperating with the gripping plate is on the heel piece. It will beunderstood, however, that while this arrangement is pro vided, it is notessential land may be reversed without departing from the invention. Thetree shown in Figs. l to 3 consists of a toe piece l adapted to litwithin the toe of a shoe, and provided with a rearwardly eX- tending barwhich in the construction shown comprises a wire rod 2 bent intoU-shape, and having its ends secured in the toe piece l. The hase of theU at the rear end of the bar 2 forms a pivot rod 3 upon which a grippingplate 4C is pivotally mounted. This plate may be conveniently formed ofsheet metal, the lower end of which is bent to surround the pivot rod 3.The heel piece comprises a block 5 which is adapted to bear against theheel of the shoe, and a longitudinally extending bar which in the formshown consists of a wire rod 6 bent into U-shape and having its endssecured in the block 5. The arms of the U pass through holes 7 formed inthe gripping plate 4, the holes being slightly larger in diameter thanthe diameter of the wire rods 6. The upper and lower edges of the holes7 form gripping shoulders on opposite sides of the rods 6 which willgrip the rods and prevent their forward movement through the grippingplate when the plate is tilted into the position shown in either thefull or dotted lines in Fig. l. If the plate is tipped slightly towardthe right with relation to the rods 6, however, the rods may be movedfreely in either direction through the plate. Even when the plate istilted into t-he position indicated, the rods 6 may be readily pushedthrough the plate toward the right in adjusting the tree to the shoe inwhich it is to be inserted.

In inserting the tree into a shoe the tree is broken or the parts swunginto the position indicated in dotted lines, and the toe part isinserted into the toe of the shoe. The heel piece is then moved towardthe right in Fig. l to bring it firmly against the heel of the shoe, andthe gripping` plate 4 tilted into gripping position, as indicated indotted lines. The tree is then forced down into the position indicatedin full lines. rIhe forward pressure on the rods 6, and rearwardpressure on the pivot of the plate fl, tend to bind the grippingshoulders on the plate more firmly against the rods 6, so that a rigidconnection between the plate and rods 6 is maintained. The tree,therefore, acts when it is in position in the shoe, to support the shoewith the same rigidity and firmness that it would if the plate et androds 6 were integrally connected.

In Fig. 4 amodiied construction is shown, in which a spring plate S isarranged to engage the rods 6 and maintain the rods and gripping plate 7normally in gripping relation. With this construction it is notnecessary for the user to hold the gripping plate and rods 6 in grippingrelation in inserting the tree into the shoe. The retaining plate 8 doesnot, however, interfere with the rearward movement of the heel piece inadjusting the tree in accordance with the length of the shoe in whichthe tree is to be inserted. If it is desired to shorten the tree, theretaining plate 8 may be readily sprung toward the gripping plate 7 sothat the rods 6 may be slid forward through the gripping plate. Thespring retaining plate may conveniently be formed integrally with thegripping plate by bending a sheet metal plate about the pivot rod 3, asindicated in Fig. Ll, al though this construction is not essential.

While it is preferred to employ the specific construction andarrangement of the parts shown and described, it will be understood thatthis construction and arrangement may gripping' shoulders for engagingopposite sides of the bar, substantially as described.

2. A shoe tree, having, in combination, heel and toe members, alongitudinally eX- tending bar on one member, a plate pivoted on theother member provided with a hole through which the bar passes which islarger than the bar, whereby movement of the bar through the hole willbeprevented when the plate is tilted with relation to the bar,substantially as described.

3. A shoe tree, having, in combination,

heel and toe members, and a plate pivoted on one of the members andprovided with holes, and longitudinally extending rods on the othermember passing through the holes in the plate, substantially asdescribed.

4,. A shoe tree, having, in combination, heel and toc members, U-shapedrods having their ends secured in the members, a gripping plate pivotedon the base bar of one of the U-shaped rods and provided with holesthrough which the arms of the other rod pass, substantially asdescribed.

5. A shoe tree, having', in combination, heel and toe members, alongitudinally eX- tending bar on one member, a plate pivoted on theother member provided with grippingshoulders for engaging opposite sidesof the bar, and a device for normally holding t-he bar and plate ingripping relation, substantially as described.

6. A shoe tree, having, in combination, heel and toe members, alongitudinally eX- tending bar on one member, a plate pivoted on theother member provided with gripping shoulders for engaging oppositesides of the bar, and a spring retaining plate engaging the bar andholding it in gripping relation to the gripping plate, substantially asdescribed.

ISAAC WV. LITCHFIELI).

titnesses MARGARET L. GILMAN, N. D. MGPHAIL.

